A Denver Public Works technician gets a lift as he removes graffiti from the side of a building on Blake Street. The man, who works on the only truck with a lift, says his job sends him all over the city.

Neighbors in southwest Denver, tired of scrubbing neon graffiti squiggles and lines off their homes and storefronts only to watch them reappear, are fighting back with a little writing of their own.

At the urging of the police department’s graffiti detectives, residents are writing letters to judges, asking them to hand down stiff penalties for graffiti taggers, whose property damage often nets probation or a short jail stint.

The city’s public-works crews have removed 39 percent more graffiti so far this year than they had by this time last year — nearly 1.8 million square feet.

“Tagging vandalism is neither mild nor innocuous; rather, it’s serious, it’s violent, it’s criminal, it’s destructive, it’s horrible,” wrote Karen Cuthbertson after vandals tagged parts of Athmar Park. “I am asking that you take all of this into account as you adjudicate this case, to please be an advocate for us and to help us rid our neighborhood of vandalism. … Perhaps a meaningful sentence would enlighten this juvenile that vandalizing property might not be the best choice going forward.”

Detectives George Gray and Gerard Alarcon began pitching the letter-writing campaign at community meetings earlier this year, sharing residents’ frustration after arresting repeat offenders.

“We have guys who are on probation for one crime doing graffiti and getting probation again,” Alarcon said. “We want the judges to know that we actually do have victims, we have people who are affected by the graffiti these guys have done, so when it comes to sentencing, they can see a true picture of what’s going on in the community.”

The situation underscores the difficulty in prosecuting graffiti cases, which qualify only as felony criminal mischief if there is more than $1,000 worth of damage and prosecutors can prove the damage occurred in a “single criminal episode.” Anything less is a misdemeanor, which can carry jail time but not a prison sentence.

“To detect them, to catch them and solve them is incredibly difficult because of the nature of the crime, and if we do catch them, they have to reach the felony threshold,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Timothy Twining, whose gang unit handles felony graffiti cases when adults are charged. “If we catch them in the act, and there are 10 buildings, and the paint is still drying, we probably have a good case.”

But 10 similar tags discovered at different times can be challenging to prosecute.

Even if police have an iron-clad case against a tagger, judges have discretion when it comes to sentencing, which is based on a number of factors including a defendant’s background and criminal history.

Denver police, for example, arrested Angelo Romero, 21, last summer after a witness spotted him and another man spraying dumpsters and garages in an alley near West 13th Avenue and Perry Street in west Denver. Under questioning by Gray, Romero admitted to being a member of the Ruthless Graffiti Kings, going by the moniker “Take” for five years, and to tagging more than 200 times, circling photos of the work he had done that day, according to his arrest affidavit. Police estimated the pair’s damage at more $1,300 and charged Romero with felony criminal mischief and defacing property.

But a plea agreement meant Romero was sentenced to just 60 days in jail and probation.

In a similar case, Denver police arrested Eric Schnat- horst, 29, in November after a witness saw him etching “ASIF” into glass windows and doors and “VIVI” and “VIVID” into a vending machine in the 3800 block of Tennyson Street. Schnat- horst had a set of keys on him, and a background check showed he had been arrested for graffiti before with the same moniker, an arrest affidavit showed. But even with that evidence, a judge sentenced him to 90 days in jail and probation after a plea agreement.

Residents such as Cuth- bertson want judges to see that graffiti is not just a property crime. Gray and Alarcon have seen an uptick in violence associated with tagging crews, including the shooting of an 8-year-old boy in southwest Denver in April.

Ginger Schlote, who lives near West Jewell Avenue and South Federal Boulevard, said violence and a number of other social ills could be prevented if taggers’ sentences were harsher.

“When it gets to the courts, it just seems to fall apart,” said Schlote, who has been fighting for years to curb graffiti. If judges could see the scourge upon her community, she said, maybe they would impose harsher punishment. “They don’t understand the impact. We want to show them the impact.”

Judges say they would consider a letter from a graffiti victim, placed into a case file and shared with defense attorneys and prosecutors. But it would be one of many factors in sentencing. Judges also look at whether the graffiti is isolated or gang-related, the amount of damage and a defendant’s criminal past. They also must weigh the crime against the cost of incarceration.

The detectives believe the letters are empowering, even though it’s too soon to gauge their impact in court.

Schlote recently penned another one after police arrested two juveniles who they believe were tagging “ORK” in parts of the Barnum and Athmar Park neighborhoods.

“It is my hope that you as the judge in the case against these juveniles know about the horrific damage people like this do to our neighborhood,” Schlote wrote. “MAKE THEM ACCOUNTABLE NOW.”

Denver Public Works crews will remove reported graffiti. Residents who have been victimized should first sign an authorization form allowing the free removal at KnowGraffiti.com. Residents can also file a police report and request removal either at that website or by calling 311.

City employees aim to remove graffiti within two business days of its being reported. Graffiti victims can also request paint from the city.

Denver Public Works says residents can reduce their chances of being tagged by planting short shrubs and prickly plants around their properties; putting vines and climbing plants along walls; securing gates and repairing fences; and installing outdoor lighting.

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